So... I promise I am going to post more often!
I will just post my musings and if you want more info you have to contact me! It was daunting to think of writing a novel each time I sat down... so I stopped!
Today's musing
It is interesting living in a country where healthcare is so cheap. I have been wondering whether to go to the doctor about my knee for about a month now. I fell down on Joowangsan while hiking and bashed it on a rock... it still hurts... But not badly. It just aches whenever it is bent for too long and aches when I put weight on it while bent, and aches when I kneel, and also when I go down stairs... Again, not badly... Its just annoying. So I brought it up to my Boss today and he said, Of course you should go to the doctor! We will get an X-ray and see what is wrong! I said, are you sure it isn't silly to go to the doctor for something so minor? and he said, in a country where it costs 300 dollars for a doctor visit and almost that much for an x-ray, it is very silly, but here it is so cheap you don't have to worry, just go! So I am finally going to find out if there is anything wrong with my knee! It is very interesting that we have developed a whole culture at home of self-medicating because health care is so expensive... There are people who won't go to a doctor unless they are dying... and some not even then... And we wait until it gets "bad enough" before we will even thinnk about going. But here people don't think twice about going for the minorest ailment... I think they are more healthy for it! Interesting... I wonder what it will be like if the health care bill is finally passed back home... Will things change? or is the culture of self-medicating so deeply ingrained that going to the doctor will never be flippant?
Happy December from
Lauren the Adventurer
PS HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CAROLYN!!!! I love you sis!!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
WOW! I am actually posting!!
Well... You all probably thought I dropped off the face of the globe! But I didn't, My boss implemented this new homework policy that means i am working very very much harder than I was. So, I've just been too tired or to annoyed to post... most nights. Really life has been pretty boring, just work and home and then work and home and then work again and home again! But I've gone on a couple of cool trips since I posted last... And today something interesting happened.
So I went on an AMAZING trip last weekend!
It was the night before halloween, we took the kids trick or treating to their parents houses. We would ring the bell then yell trick or treat, and then the other teacher would turn on the CD player and all the kids would sing for their parents. Then we yelled trick or treat again, the parents gave all the kids candy, then we all posed for about 15 photos. then we all piled into the van and drove to the next apartment building and the cycle begins again. By the end of the evening I never wanted to hear either of the songs we sang ever again!! and the teachers didn't get any candy! (NOR ANY DINNER) and this event lasted till around 10 PM!!! But anyway, I went to the school, changed out of my costume and grabbed my overnight bag and my purse and my boss drove me to the train station. I've become a pro at taking the bullet train and the subway. I grabbed some dinner at the station and I hopped on the train. I was supposed to be in Seoul at a specific meetup location at midnight.
The promised trip was
an overnight bus ride
amazing lake at 6:30 Am
breakfast
Five hour hike at 8:30 am
lunch
Mask dance at a folk village at 3:00 pm
relaxing evening cookout and sleeping at said folk village
next day, relaxing morning and cookout breakfast
bus at 10:00 am
lunch
Famous caves at 2:00 pm
Dinner at AMAZING korean beef town
then back to Seoul!
It was everything that was promised AND MORE!!!
It was SO AMAZING!
And the fee for the whole weekend (not including food) was $75!!!
I was pretty excited!
let me just show you the photos! Behold!! The Lake! ( I don't actually know which lake this is or where exactly in korea we are, but isn't it PRETTY?)
Then after the lake, we went on a beautiful hike! I almost died on the way up again! But the view at the top was so worth it!
HMM,.... I don't know why, but the blog website won't let me put any more pictures on this post... Which doesn't make sense....
So... To be continued!!
Oh.. but the story from today!
So, the door latch broke on one of the classrooms, locking my co teacher Christine and about 8 students inside the classroom!! There is no other exit from that room and my boss and all the korean teachers were practically going crazy trying to get it open! They were shaking the door and jabbing at it with screwdrivers and videochatting on their cell phones with the various males in their lives who were all trying to give them different advice. After several atempts the door still was just stuck!! it would not come open! We dismantled the doorhandle and tired again... now there was no way it would work. if the handle wouldn't turn there was no way the little square stick was gonna turn easier. But they were trying with a pair of pliers anyway.
I tried several different things too. but when nothing worked, I walked over to the door across the way and began dismantling it. I took apart the handle and saw that there should be two silver things moving when you turn the knob. and on the stuck door only one was moving... so I slid a pair of needle nosed pliers to Christine under the door and had her grab the silver thing and pull while I turned the door handle as hard as I could on the outside. It WORKED!! They were free!! A couple of the teachers hugged me and one said I was a hero... but I was just being calm and the solution was evident, if you knew where to look, in the other door! It was kind of fun for a few seconds, but then I got embarrassed and we all just sat down to have lunch.
Anywho.... Thats my life! I have a ton of fun on the weekend and work each week... but sometimes work gets interesting like today!
Lauren
So I went on an AMAZING trip last weekend!
It was the night before halloween, we took the kids trick or treating to their parents houses. We would ring the bell then yell trick or treat, and then the other teacher would turn on the CD player and all the kids would sing for their parents. Then we yelled trick or treat again, the parents gave all the kids candy, then we all posed for about 15 photos. then we all piled into the van and drove to the next apartment building and the cycle begins again. By the end of the evening I never wanted to hear either of the songs we sang ever again!! and the teachers didn't get any candy! (NOR ANY DINNER) and this event lasted till around 10 PM!!! But anyway, I went to the school, changed out of my costume and grabbed my overnight bag and my purse and my boss drove me to the train station. I've become a pro at taking the bullet train and the subway. I grabbed some dinner at the station and I hopped on the train. I was supposed to be in Seoul at a specific meetup location at midnight.
The promised trip was
an overnight bus ride
amazing lake at 6:30 Am
breakfast
Five hour hike at 8:30 am
lunch
Mask dance at a folk village at 3:00 pm
relaxing evening cookout and sleeping at said folk village
next day, relaxing morning and cookout breakfast
bus at 10:00 am
lunch
Famous caves at 2:00 pm
Dinner at AMAZING korean beef town
then back to Seoul!
It was everything that was promised AND MORE!!!
It was SO AMAZING!
And the fee for the whole weekend (not including food) was $75!!!
I was pretty excited!
let me just show you the photos! Behold!! The Lake! ( I don't actually know which lake this is or where exactly in korea we are, but isn't it PRETTY?)
Then after the lake, we went on a beautiful hike! I almost died on the way up again! But the view at the top was so worth it!
HMM,.... I don't know why, but the blog website won't let me put any more pictures on this post... Which doesn't make sense....
So... To be continued!!
Oh.. but the story from today!
So, the door latch broke on one of the classrooms, locking my co teacher Christine and about 8 students inside the classroom!! There is no other exit from that room and my boss and all the korean teachers were practically going crazy trying to get it open! They were shaking the door and jabbing at it with screwdrivers and videochatting on their cell phones with the various males in their lives who were all trying to give them different advice. After several atempts the door still was just stuck!! it would not come open! We dismantled the doorhandle and tired again... now there was no way it would work. if the handle wouldn't turn there was no way the little square stick was gonna turn easier. But they were trying with a pair of pliers anyway.
I tried several different things too. but when nothing worked, I walked over to the door across the way and began dismantling it. I took apart the handle and saw that there should be two silver things moving when you turn the knob. and on the stuck door only one was moving... so I slid a pair of needle nosed pliers to Christine under the door and had her grab the silver thing and pull while I turned the door handle as hard as I could on the outside. It WORKED!! They were free!! A couple of the teachers hugged me and one said I was a hero... but I was just being calm and the solution was evident, if you knew where to look, in the other door! It was kind of fun for a few seconds, but then I got embarrassed and we all just sat down to have lunch.
Anywho.... Thats my life! I have a ton of fun on the weekend and work each week... but sometimes work gets interesting like today!
Lauren
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